Archaeology Café: 2,500 Years in the Marsh
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 16, 2010
Contact: Kate Sarther Gann, (520) 882-6946, ext. 16
Pipeline project yields more evidence of early agriculture in the Tucson area.
EVENT: 2,500 Years in the Marsh: The Prehistory of the Marsh Station Road Site
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Casa Vicente, 375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ.
ADMISSION: Free and open to the community—all are welcome. Seating is open and unreserved. Guests are encouraged to support our host, Casa Vicente, by buying their own food and drinks.
The Center for Desert Archaeology and Casa Vicente invite all to the third season of Archaeology Café, a casual, happy hour-style discussion forum dedicated to promoting community engagement with cultural and scientific research. The 2010–2011 season of Archaeology Café is made possible, in part, by the Arizona Humanities Council.
The next Archaeology Café will convene on Tuesday, September 7, 2010. We will be joined by a panel of archaeologists from William Self Associates, Inc., who will discuss their work at the Marsh Station Road (MSR) site. This 20-acre site is located near the confluence of Cienega Creek and Mescal Wash, southeast of Tucson. MSR was inhabited at several points in time between 1050 B.C. and A.D. 1400. The panel—which will be led by project director Michael Boley—will share what they have learned about life and subsistence at MSR, especially during the Early Agricultural and Hohokam Sedentary (Middle Rincon) periods. Their findings have implications for use of the “hinterlands” concept in Hohokam archaeology in the region.
Come settle in with a drink and a plate of delicious tapas at downtown Tucson’s own Casa Vicente. We meet the first Tuesday of each month from September through May at 6:00 p.m.; presentations begin at 6:15 p.m. Seating is open on a first-come, first-served basis—be ready to make new acquaintances! Our forum opens with a brief, informal presentation on a timely or even controversial topic, followed by a question and answer period and a short break. Our moderator then commences spirited but focused discussion.
The Center for Desert Archaeology videotapes these events and streams them on our website, www.archaeologysouthwest.org, for the benefit of the community and our more distant supporters and friends. More information on the international science café movement that inspired us to host Archaeology Café is available at www.sciencecafes.org.
ABOUT THE MARSH STATION ROAD PROJECT
During the spring and summer of 2007, William Self Associates, Inc., conducted archaeological excavations at the Marsh Station Road site. The site is located about 26 miles south of Tucson, near the confluence of Cienega Creek and Mescal Wash. Archaeological investigations were undertaken as part of a pipeline expansion project by SFPP, LP, and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners. The project resulted in the documentation of 193 features, including six pit structures; excavation of 134 features; and the collection of more than 50,000 artifacts, the majority of which were flaked stone or ceramics.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DESERT ARCHAEOLOGY
The Center for Desert Archaeology envisions a society in which the places of the past are valued as the foundations for a vibrant future. The Center works to preserve the places of our shared past. We achieve this mission by researching questions of broad interest, enabling people to learn about the past through creative and varied means, promoting an ethic of preservation to the public and professionals, and acting to ensure long-term protection of our cultural heritage. The Center is a private 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Tucson, Arizona. We work throughout the American Southwest.
300 N. Ash Alley, Tucson, AZ 85701, (520) 882-6946
ABOUT CASA VICENTE
Family-owned Casa Vicente serves authentic Spanish cuisine in a lively atmosphere. Parking is available on the premises.
375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701, (520) 884-5253
